I wanted to mention our Good News to those of you particularly invested in Cliveden Park House. During Christmas, Clyde's brother told us that his company is keen to donate some computers to us. Most of them would be refurbished, but at least two of them will be brand new. Not only do the company want to donate them, they want to set up a network and internet connection, and bring someone in to teach the software on the computers. This would include AutoCAD, which is certainly not run of the mill. We are ecstatic. Understandably so.
However, this has meant that we have had to get a room ready for the products. The room we are working with might fit 9 computer stations at a stretch, which is great. The company originally offered 25 machines. 25! Twenty five! But we just don't have the space. We don't even have furniture at the moment, but I expect we'll be able to get some from somewhere.
Clyde has spent two evenings this week spackling holes in the walls so that can paint the room, which up until this week was a rosy shade of dark gray, with a poo-brown ceiling. I voted for a while ceiling with medium yellow walls. Clyde concurred and we found the right colour at Home Depot. So this afternoon I am driving down to put on a second coat of primer and pick up the yellow paint when we know how much we'll need.
Additionally to all that, Clyde's Dad has offered to come in and fix up some issues with the rest room, which isn't a very nice place to have to spend a penny. It's passable, but there are holes in the walls.
We are working quickly to get these changes made because we want to show the company that they are making a decent investment, and not throwing good money away. Also, if they are serious, which it sounds as though they are, they will probably want to move quickly as the year turns. So we plan to be prepared.
I have dreams of being able to work with six or more children at a time, using Reader Rabbit software and other phonics programs. I won't give up on books, of course, but it's easier to plan for more children if I have more equipment to work with.
Friday, December 30, 2005
Happy Holidays
I hate the phrase Happy Holidays. It's a generic American-PC remark made so as not to offend people who do not celebrate Christmas, but do celebrate something else. For instance Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice. Although Solstice doesn't seem to be a widely recognized celebration in the US, either.
Anyway, I use the greeting now because I haven't posted anything in a while and thus have missed most of the holidays except for the New Year celebration, which is tomorrow.
Two days ago we held a holiday party for the kids at Cliveden Park House. We invited the children from the four different programs that run at the park, and had about thirty kids show up. I was pretty surprised, because on a good day I see "my" two girls. I had no idea there were so many kids in the neighbourhood. Luckily it was a warm-ish day and for the most part the kids played in the park on the swings and climbing frame. Some of the boys threw a footballl around, some of the girls played hide-and-seek, duck-duck-goose. Inside, to amuse some of the littler ones, we played musical statues and pass-the-parcel.
The older volunteers - mostly Grandmas - cooked up the lunch, and what a lunch it was. Salad, followed by a fruit cup, followed by spaghetti and sauce or baked penne, followed by crazy running around outside while the grown-ups cleaned up the tables and I cut the cakes. The oldest kids came in and sat down to "test" the cakes for freshness while shooting the breeze. These were the boys and girl who were been the original kids in the park. The reason the Grandmas had cleaned the place up and kicked out the drug users. They were also the first children in the park to benefit from the city grants and funding for local youth. Their ages range between 15 and 19 now. The eldest is in college, the rest are following suit.
After everyone had some cake, we asked each person to stand up and identify themselves to the group. What is their name, age, school and which program do they participate in at Cliveden. Some of them were the littler brothers and sisters of those in a program. One of them had just shown up and joined in when he saw all the children outside. But mostly they were students of the piano; of Mr Clyde's math class (where he also teaches spanish, social studies, science); and of Mr Kelvin's class on Saturday mornings. My girls stood up shyly and said that they came to Mrs Clyde's and Mr Tabby's classes (awww).
It was a great opportunity for all of us, really. Clyde and I stood up and tried to pitch our program to everyone. Clyde did a better job than me. I was tired and uptight by this point and I now wish that I had said more about just giving the kids a place to come to if they wanted to read. Mostly I concentrated on offering help to those who were having difficulty, which is also a valid contribution. But I know there were kids in the building who probably do read of their own choosing and just don't have someone who cares enough to let them do it in their own time.
As people were speaking, I snuck around with a camera and took lots of photos. My BBBS Litttle Sister, Caitlin, was with us as well, and it was her camera. Just as well because the battery had gone on mine.
At the end of the afternoon, as the kids were leaving, I had two more children come to me and tell me that they have had some trouble with reading. The boy, in 5th grade, tells me that he is reading at 3rd grade level. The girl, who is 13, tells me she wants to read all the books we have on the shelves. I don't know yet where her trouble lies, if she has any. In two weeks both kids will hopefully come and sit with us on a Monday night.
In the meantime I plan to try and write some lesson plan material ahead of time so that I can best utilize the time when I suddenly have double the amount of students.
Anyway, I use the greeting now because I haven't posted anything in a while and thus have missed most of the holidays except for the New Year celebration, which is tomorrow.
Two days ago we held a holiday party for the kids at Cliveden Park House. We invited the children from the four different programs that run at the park, and had about thirty kids show up. I was pretty surprised, because on a good day I see "my" two girls. I had no idea there were so many kids in the neighbourhood. Luckily it was a warm-ish day and for the most part the kids played in the park on the swings and climbing frame. Some of the boys threw a footballl around, some of the girls played hide-and-seek, duck-duck-goose. Inside, to amuse some of the littler ones, we played musical statues and pass-the-parcel.
The older volunteers - mostly Grandmas - cooked up the lunch, and what a lunch it was. Salad, followed by a fruit cup, followed by spaghetti and sauce or baked penne, followed by crazy running around outside while the grown-ups cleaned up the tables and I cut the cakes. The oldest kids came in and sat down to "test" the cakes for freshness while shooting the breeze. These were the boys and girl who were been the original kids in the park. The reason the Grandmas had cleaned the place up and kicked out the drug users. They were also the first children in the park to benefit from the city grants and funding for local youth. Their ages range between 15 and 19 now. The eldest is in college, the rest are following suit.
After everyone had some cake, we asked each person to stand up and identify themselves to the group. What is their name, age, school and which program do they participate in at Cliveden. Some of them were the littler brothers and sisters of those in a program. One of them had just shown up and joined in when he saw all the children outside. But mostly they were students of the piano; of Mr Clyde's math class (where he also teaches spanish, social studies, science); and of Mr Kelvin's class on Saturday mornings. My girls stood up shyly and said that they came to Mrs Clyde's and Mr Tabby's classes (awww).
It was a great opportunity for all of us, really. Clyde and I stood up and tried to pitch our program to everyone. Clyde did a better job than me. I was tired and uptight by this point and I now wish that I had said more about just giving the kids a place to come to if they wanted to read. Mostly I concentrated on offering help to those who were having difficulty, which is also a valid contribution. But I know there were kids in the building who probably do read of their own choosing and just don't have someone who cares enough to let them do it in their own time.
As people were speaking, I snuck around with a camera and took lots of photos. My BBBS Litttle Sister, Caitlin, was with us as well, and it was her camera. Just as well because the battery had gone on mine.
At the end of the afternoon, as the kids were leaving, I had two more children come to me and tell me that they have had some trouble with reading. The boy, in 5th grade, tells me that he is reading at 3rd grade level. The girl, who is 13, tells me she wants to read all the books we have on the shelves. I don't know yet where her trouble lies, if she has any. In two weeks both kids will hopefully come and sit with us on a Monday night.
In the meantime I plan to try and write some lesson plan material ahead of time so that I can best utilize the time when I suddenly have double the amount of students.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Book Wishlist
If you want to send us something, but don't know where to start, I have updated our Amazon wishlist. Books sent from this site are tax free donations. Just let me know if you need the 501 number for your records.
Be sure to sort the list by priority (high to low) for the best ideas.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/200VFN7IERVN7
Thank you!
Be sure to sort the list by priority (high to low) for the best ideas.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/200VFN7IERVN7
Thank you!
Hop on Pop - Follow up
I have received two copies of Hop on Pop from two kind regulars at Readerville. This morning I also received a handful of I Can Read books (Danny and the Dinosaur; Mouse Tales; Frog and Toad, etc) from a great friend who has kept us in books this year.
The arrival of this package was just perfect because I think the girls are at the right stage to give them a stab. I had them each read Hop on Pop aloud on Monday evening this week. M was able to do it more fluently than T, and she didn't get frustrated when she got stuck on a word. She even had a very good try at Constantinople. I suggested to their Grandmother that T might get her eyes checked. Because I noticed that she rubbed and rubbed at her eyes while she was trying to read, and she struggled with several of the pages, especially at the end where there is a small yellow box with a smaller red text of several short words in a row. She almost cried when she got to that part, so I wondered if perhaps it had to do with being able to see well enough.
After they took turns reading it aloud, I read it aloud. Then I read them the first in the Catwings series by Ursula K Le Guin. What a lovely little book! They seemed to enjoy it and asked questions when they didn't understand things (who are the flying tabbies?? etc) part way through the story.
At the end of the story I asked them what they liked best about it, and they were able to tell me parts they thought were interesting/fun. Then they told me that their birthday in June but they didn't know when that is, so we sat down and talked about days of the week and months of the year. I gave them a sheet of paper with all those things written clearly down and asked them to practice sounding it out during the week.
Next week I'll see about having them each read a short-ish I Can Read book aloud. I really think that most of what they need is practice reading.
The arrival of this package was just perfect because I think the girls are at the right stage to give them a stab. I had them each read Hop on Pop aloud on Monday evening this week. M was able to do it more fluently than T, and she didn't get frustrated when she got stuck on a word. She even had a very good try at Constantinople. I suggested to their Grandmother that T might get her eyes checked. Because I noticed that she rubbed and rubbed at her eyes while she was trying to read, and she struggled with several of the pages, especially at the end where there is a small yellow box with a smaller red text of several short words in a row. She almost cried when she got to that part, so I wondered if perhaps it had to do with being able to see well enough.
After they took turns reading it aloud, I read it aloud. Then I read them the first in the Catwings series by Ursula K Le Guin. What a lovely little book! They seemed to enjoy it and asked questions when they didn't understand things (who are the flying tabbies?? etc) part way through the story.
At the end of the story I asked them what they liked best about it, and they were able to tell me parts they thought were interesting/fun. Then they told me that their birthday in June but they didn't know when that is, so we sat down and talked about days of the week and months of the year. I gave them a sheet of paper with all those things written clearly down and asked them to practice sounding it out during the week.
Next week I'll see about having them each read a short-ish I Can Read book aloud. I really think that most of what they need is practice reading.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Wintery weather
Yep. It's cold. Monday night class was cancelled because all the weather channels predicted 3 - 7 inches of snow, but in fact only about an inch fell and landed in our neighbourhood. All the same, I'm happy not to have gone because Clyde had to drive to Virginia on business, taking my car with him. And I didn't want to have to drive home in the dark, in bad weather, in a car I'm less comfortable in. The car he uses is a 1991 Jeep Cherokee. It works, pretty much, fine. It has a new-ish engine, which we installed over the summer. But since then it's gears are wonky. You have to really slam them into place! It's disconcerting. Anyway, it's a perfectly usable vehicle. I just didn't want to have to deal with all the factors at once.
Though the snow has stopped, it's bitterly cold here. I spent much of the day sitting on the couch writing christmas cards and thinking about clambering back into the flannel sheets in the company of cats. But no. Instead I watched/listened to almost six hours of music television while I wrote. Occasionally I checked and sent email, and read some posts at the IIN web forum. I noticed that a lot of forum posts, both at IIN and elseweb, have dropped off this week. I wonder if it's because everyone's fingers are too cold to type? More likely they are bundled up in flannel bedsheets with a good book. I wanted to do that, too, but really felt it would be lazy. I don't think of bed as the place to write letters, although I know one novelist who writes her books in bed. Literally.
Though the snow has stopped, it's bitterly cold here. I spent much of the day sitting on the couch writing christmas cards and thinking about clambering back into the flannel sheets in the company of cats. But no. Instead I watched/listened to almost six hours of music television while I wrote. Occasionally I checked and sent email, and read some posts at the IIN web forum. I noticed that a lot of forum posts, both at IIN and elseweb, have dropped off this week. I wonder if it's because everyone's fingers are too cold to type? More likely they are bundled up in flannel bedsheets with a good book. I wanted to do that, too, but really felt it would be lazy. I don't think of bed as the place to write letters, although I know one novelist who writes her books in bed. Literally.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Health Histories for Homework
Here's another that's been keeping me busy:
Part of my homework assignment from my first weekend at IIN was to complete four health history (HH) consultations before the next class (Dec 10-11). I had been concerned about how to go about taking these histories because I don't come into a lot of contact with "real" people throughout my day. I clean my house and play with my cats and do grocery shopping and all of that, but I don't interact with many people outside of the various online communities I'm involved with and the people I might play catch up with over the phone.
So it was suggested to me that I might exchange HHs with other students. This seems easy until you realise how difficult it is to pin down appointments with people. Especially people who don't seem as into it as you are. A few people have complained on the IIN online community about how no one will exchange with them. I don't know about that. I have emailed most of the people who showed interest, detailing my availability and asking for theirs. If they don't pick up the ball and follow up, it's their loss I'm afraid to say.
Inspired by all of that, I emailed a selection of friends and asked if they were willing to get involved. If they answered yes, I sent them the form and asked them to fill it in and return it to me. Then I asked for their availability for talking about it. It's a really great thing to do because it gives the "client" time for themself. Time to sit and breathe and discuss the things that concern them. And it's all about them. The consultation can take up to an hour, and will always be free. We have been advised not to take anyone on as actual clients until a few more weeks into the program, but after that the consultation process is free and the follow up sessions cost a certain amount a month, assuming the client feels that they want to further their work.
And so, my weeks and weekends have been busy, full of calls and consultations. I have averaged about five of these a week. It's surprising to me how tired I have been at the end of them, however. I suppose I haven't engaged my mind as much in a long time!
Part of my homework assignment from my first weekend at IIN was to complete four health history (HH) consultations before the next class (Dec 10-11). I had been concerned about how to go about taking these histories because I don't come into a lot of contact with "real" people throughout my day. I clean my house and play with my cats and do grocery shopping and all of that, but I don't interact with many people outside of the various online communities I'm involved with and the people I might play catch up with over the phone.
So it was suggested to me that I might exchange HHs with other students. This seems easy until you realise how difficult it is to pin down appointments with people. Especially people who don't seem as into it as you are. A few people have complained on the IIN online community about how no one will exchange with them. I don't know about that. I have emailed most of the people who showed interest, detailing my availability and asking for theirs. If they don't pick up the ball and follow up, it's their loss I'm afraid to say.
Inspired by all of that, I emailed a selection of friends and asked if they were willing to get involved. If they answered yes, I sent them the form and asked them to fill it in and return it to me. Then I asked for their availability for talking about it. It's a really great thing to do because it gives the "client" time for themself. Time to sit and breathe and discuss the things that concern them. And it's all about them. The consultation can take up to an hour, and will always be free. We have been advised not to take anyone on as actual clients until a few more weeks into the program, but after that the consultation process is free and the follow up sessions cost a certain amount a month, assuming the client feels that they want to further their work.
And so, my weeks and weekends have been busy, full of calls and consultations. I have averaged about five of these a week. It's surprising to me how tired I have been at the end of them, however. I suppose I haven't engaged my mind as much in a long time!
Playing catch up
I've been so tired lately I haven't made time to write updates on my teaching antics. I have stories to tell (although they may not be terribly interesting), believe me.
My twin girls are repeat pupils now (three visits in as many weeks), and apparently spent the first week asking their Nana if they could come to my "class" after school every day. The second week I copied pages out of the Scholastic book to see what basic level they are at. The pages included simple mazes, following easy words: "the" "a", to reach something at the other side (the way mazes do). Then they each read part of a Hello Reader story to me. T was soon tired, but M wanted to go on. She read almost a whole story and then answered some of the questions at the end (that included rebus words and opposites). At the end of the evening Nana asked me to work with them on word families, which I am happy to try. She told me that they have been put in some sort of special class in first grade, which seems ridiculous to me. They are six years old!
So I spent much of last Monday writing simple sentences around the word family "an", and copying a few more pages about "the" and "an" from my reference book. The girls told me that the part where they had to match the right word to the right sentence was too hard. But I helped them to complete the whole page (six sentences) and they did okay.
T was tired and coughing the whole time on Monday, and I sent her home with Nana to get some medicine. I feel for them because I know that it's not my business to interfere in their lives outside of learning to read and being at the House with us. But they come wearing dirty clothes and I understand that they are on fairly strict vegetarian diets, which seems a little rough for children so young. And frankly I imagine it will backfire on them in the future. How can chocolate and sweet things not be attractive to them? Anyway, I digress.
So I started reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with them, but now I'm thinking that might be cruel. Perhaps I should go with something shorter and less about sweeties.
My twin girls are repeat pupils now (three visits in as many weeks), and apparently spent the first week asking their Nana if they could come to my "class" after school every day. The second week I copied pages out of the Scholastic book to see what basic level they are at. The pages included simple mazes, following easy words: "the" "a", to reach something at the other side (the way mazes do). Then they each read part of a Hello Reader story to me. T was soon tired, but M wanted to go on. She read almost a whole story and then answered some of the questions at the end (that included rebus words and opposites). At the end of the evening Nana asked me to work with them on word families, which I am happy to try. She told me that they have been put in some sort of special class in first grade, which seems ridiculous to me. They are six years old!
So I spent much of last Monday writing simple sentences around the word family "an", and copying a few more pages about "the" and "an" from my reference book. The girls told me that the part where they had to match the right word to the right sentence was too hard. But I helped them to complete the whole page (six sentences) and they did okay.
T was tired and coughing the whole time on Monday, and I sent her home with Nana to get some medicine. I feel for them because I know that it's not my business to interfere in their lives outside of learning to read and being at the House with us. But they come wearing dirty clothes and I understand that they are on fairly strict vegetarian diets, which seems a little rough for children so young. And frankly I imagine it will backfire on them in the future. How can chocolate and sweet things not be attractive to them? Anyway, I digress.
So I started reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with them, but now I'm thinking that might be cruel. Perhaps I should go with something shorter and less about sweeties.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Hop on Pop
At the bookstore just now (I was picking up some Sandra Boynton for a friend's baby), I re-read Hop on Pop. I think that would be an ideal book for the twins, and also for the kids who came last week. If you turn out to have a spare undamaged copy of that lying around, unwanted, would you consider sending it to me? I could use more than one copy, and right now I don't have any copies.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Word Families
I forgot to mention that I have a teacher's resource store poster of word families which I plan on taking with me next week. I shall have to take a look at it over the weekend and figure out some ideas on how to use it for teaching.
The difficulty I've had most with planning is that I plan away and then no one shows up. This week the Grandmothers/Mothers who run the community activities at Cliveden Park have decided to call all the families who have been coming to see me now and then, before hand. So that they get used to the idea that Monday Night is Reading Tutor Night. That way I'll more likely have some regular pupils.
I am also going to print up a colourful (bookishly illustrated?) flyer with the dates and times that I intend to be there, to give to each family member who brings the little ones. Hopefully it will help.
The difficulty I've had most with planning is that I plan away and then no one shows up. This week the Grandmothers/Mothers who run the community activities at Cliveden Park have decided to call all the families who have been coming to see me now and then, before hand. So that they get used to the idea that Monday Night is Reading Tutor Night. That way I'll more likely have some regular pupils.
I am also going to print up a colourful (bookishly illustrated?) flyer with the dates and times that I intend to be there, to give to each family member who brings the little ones. Hopefully it will help.
Learning to Read
Last monday evening I had the pleasure of meeting twin girl children. They are six years old. T and M. M told me that she's three months older than her sister, but I considered that for a moment and decided she must mean minutes. They know their letters and sort of the sounds of their letters, but they are a little over-confident some of the time. They had a tendency to put all the letters of C-A-T together, but not in order. I kept reminding them to sound out the letters in the order they had put them, and then they noticed where they had gone wrong and ultimately fixed each problem.
Before that, though, I gave them a packet of alphabet flashcards and asked them to put them in order alphabetically. It became a race. A race which was marred only by the fact that the pack included only one each of Q, X, and Z. I made up spares by writing them on a piece of paper for Little Miss T.
When each had a side of the table covered in the alphabet, I asked them to sound out each letter and then went on to ask them if they could spell particular short words: "Can you spell 'cat'?", followed with "What other words can you make if you take away the 'C' and put other letters in it's place?". They figured out hat, sat, mat.
After a lot of running up and down the side of the table making up words ('hax?'), I asked them to each choose a book and we would sit and read together. As it turns out, I did all the reading. But I had them look for particular words (and, the) in the pages with me. All told we read five books that night. Their favourite by far was The Mysterious Tadpole by Steven Kellogg. Miss M decided that she would dislike The Moon Jumpers by Janice May Udry before we began, but I told her it was my choice (the choices are rather limited on the picture book shelf) and I wanted to read it to them. She listened, but afterward they begged me to read If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff before they left for the night.
While we read, they squished themselves as close to me on either side as they could manage without actually sitting directly on my lap. It was cosy. If there's one thing I've noticed on the nights I've been working with these children, they are affectionate little creatures. Starved, you might suggest, for attention and love. They are loved - I imagine, although I don't see a lot of it with the Littles. I don't often meet the parent or guardians. This time I did meet Grandma, and she seemed uptight. At the end of the evening she asked whether I thought they would get better at reading... I said I certainly thought that they would - that the more reading they did and had done for them, the better/easier it would be for them. They are bright little girls. I hope to see them on Monday evening. I rather suspect I shall, because Grandma seemed pretty strict and as someone mentioned to me as we left for the evening, perhaps not altogether as bright as them herself. Plus, she's Grandma. She's carrying the weight of bringing up her grandchildren, most likely alone. I can understand why she's concerned. But as I said, they are six years old! They have time.
I picked up a copy of 100 Words Kids Need To Read by 1st Grade by Lisa Trumbauer, on the basis that I can copy some of the pages so that I can offer an actual lesson of sorts in the weeks ahead. Activities based around words. It seems as though five, six, seven is the age group I'm working with. And it's a brilliant place to begin. Although it's vaguely terrifying to someone who isn't actually a "teacher".
As always, I appreciate any ideas you all have.
Before that, though, I gave them a packet of alphabet flashcards and asked them to put them in order alphabetically. It became a race. A race which was marred only by the fact that the pack included only one each of Q, X, and Z. I made up spares by writing them on a piece of paper for Little Miss T.
When each had a side of the table covered in the alphabet, I asked them to sound out each letter and then went on to ask them if they could spell particular short words: "Can you spell 'cat'?", followed with "What other words can you make if you take away the 'C' and put other letters in it's place?". They figured out hat, sat, mat.
After a lot of running up and down the side of the table making up words ('hax?'), I asked them to each choose a book and we would sit and read together. As it turns out, I did all the reading. But I had them look for particular words (and, the) in the pages with me. All told we read five books that night. Their favourite by far was The Mysterious Tadpole by Steven Kellogg. Miss M decided that she would dislike The Moon Jumpers by Janice May Udry before we began, but I told her it was my choice (the choices are rather limited on the picture book shelf) and I wanted to read it to them. She listened, but afterward they begged me to read If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff before they left for the night.
While we read, they squished themselves as close to me on either side as they could manage without actually sitting directly on my lap. It was cosy. If there's one thing I've noticed on the nights I've been working with these children, they are affectionate little creatures. Starved, you might suggest, for attention and love. They are loved - I imagine, although I don't see a lot of it with the Littles. I don't often meet the parent or guardians. This time I did meet Grandma, and she seemed uptight. At the end of the evening she asked whether I thought they would get better at reading... I said I certainly thought that they would - that the more reading they did and had done for them, the better/easier it would be for them. They are bright little girls. I hope to see them on Monday evening. I rather suspect I shall, because Grandma seemed pretty strict and as someone mentioned to me as we left for the evening, perhaps not altogether as bright as them herself. Plus, she's Grandma. She's carrying the weight of bringing up her grandchildren, most likely alone. I can understand why she's concerned. But as I said, they are six years old! They have time.
I picked up a copy of 100 Words Kids Need To Read by 1st Grade by Lisa Trumbauer, on the basis that I can copy some of the pages so that I can offer an actual lesson of sorts in the weeks ahead. Activities based around words. It seems as though five, six, seven is the age group I'm working with. And it's a brilliant place to begin. Although it's vaguely terrifying to someone who isn't actually a "teacher".
As always, I appreciate any ideas you all have.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
US Election Day
Have you voted yet?
I know it's mostly only local government, but those are the ones you need to pay attention to. Those people run your schools, run your local councils and in some cases your cities. One day those officials might be campaigning to represent you in the state. They are important people to keep an eye on.
Go out and cast your vote today!
If not, don't make complaints later on. You made your choice.
I know it's mostly only local government, but those are the ones you need to pay attention to. Those people run your schools, run your local councils and in some cases your cities. One day those officials might be campaigning to represent you in the state. They are important people to keep an eye on.
Go out and cast your vote today!
If not, don't make complaints later on. You made your choice.
Happy November
A quickie because I need to get some cooking done.
I'm back in the U.S. and I've had my first class weekend at I.I.N. in New York. I had a Fantastic time and I'm so happy to be able to take the course. It's Just The Thing!
Tomorrow I'm meeting my second prospective Little Sister with Big Brothers, Big Sisters - which will be exciting, too. So far that I know, she has had a Big Sister until her family moved house recently, and now her former BS is too far away for the commute. So I may be matched up with her. We'll see how it goes.
Last night I started reading to Kids at Cliveden Park again for the first time since the school year began. I was lucky enough to work with two children, aged six and five. Boy and girl respectively. They know their ABCs (almost), but can't read yet. They were full of beans, so I tried to tame them enough to sit and listen for an hour or so. We read Harold and the Purple Crayon (Thank you Gretchen!), One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish and The Snowy Day.
I'm looking for ideas on how to better work with them next week, because it seems like a great opportunity to help them with their letters and reading skills. The little boy, M, (6yo) can spell letters out, but doesn't know how to sound them out. The little girl, C, (5yo) can make convincing sound noises in word sequences, but doesn't know all her letters. So we'll see. I'm thinking flash cards and a trip to the local teacher resource store. I already have one poster of word sounds (dog, fog, log etc). But I have to say I find myself uncertain of how to make progress with them.
Ideas, please.
I'm back in the U.S. and I've had my first class weekend at I.I.N. in New York. I had a Fantastic time and I'm so happy to be able to take the course. It's Just The Thing!
Tomorrow I'm meeting my second prospective Little Sister with Big Brothers, Big Sisters - which will be exciting, too. So far that I know, she has had a Big Sister until her family moved house recently, and now her former BS is too far away for the commute. So I may be matched up with her. We'll see how it goes.
Last night I started reading to Kids at Cliveden Park again for the first time since the school year began. I was lucky enough to work with two children, aged six and five. Boy and girl respectively. They know their ABCs (almost), but can't read yet. They were full of beans, so I tried to tame them enough to sit and listen for an hour or so. We read Harold and the Purple Crayon (Thank you Gretchen!), One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish and The Snowy Day.
I'm looking for ideas on how to better work with them next week, because it seems like a great opportunity to help them with their letters and reading skills. The little boy, M, (6yo) can spell letters out, but doesn't know how to sound them out. The little girl, C, (5yo) can make convincing sound noises in word sequences, but doesn't know all her letters. So we'll see. I'm thinking flash cards and a trip to the local teacher resource store. I already have one poster of word sounds (dog, fog, log etc). But I have to say I find myself uncertain of how to make progress with them.
Ideas, please.
Monday, October 03, 2005
So long oo long how long you gonna be gone?
I'm flying to Greece in a few hours. I'll be away from a computer for three weeks. When I return from Greece, I'll be back in England for just a couple of days before returning to the US and ordering myself a new computer set up, so expect that it might be a little while longer before I am back to full strength herein.
Birthday Wishes
Happy Birthday to me, and to all those who celebrate their birthday today!
May the dance go on and on and on....
May the dance go on and on and on....
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Last day
Tomorrow afternoon I am flying to Greece with my parents, so tonight is almost my last night in England for the foreseeable future. I will have two more nights when we return from Greece, but I already have plans with friends for at least one of those two. So anyway, I decided to call a few old friends and use the opportunity to chat with them. It turns out that none of them are home on a Sunday evening. And I suppose some of them might not even live at the numbers I have for them anymore. But I continue to live in hope. It is rumoured that one close friend may have recently gotten married, but as I have not yet heard from the presumably happy couple, I can neither confirm nor deny this information.
Tomorrow it is my birthday (cue flashing lights, bells and whistles). I love all birthdays, but particularly my own. I have been feeling a little flummoxed lately because I'm sort of led to believe that this is an important one, age-wise. I clearly recall my cousins teasing me upon my arrival at the big One Oh. And now it's twenty years later and I find it hard to believe how fast time slips by. I've spent the better part of the last decade celebrating my birthday in the USA, without my family handy to share it with. This year I have my parents, but not my husband. It's a funny old world. As it turns out, Clyde will be arriving in Greece the afternoon after us, so that's a pretty decent present in itself.
(Although I'd like some more, too, please.)
Tomorrow it is my birthday (cue flashing lights, bells and whistles). I love all birthdays, but particularly my own. I have been feeling a little flummoxed lately because I'm sort of led to believe that this is an important one, age-wise. I clearly recall my cousins teasing me upon my arrival at the big One Oh. And now it's twenty years later and I find it hard to believe how fast time slips by. I've spent the better part of the last decade celebrating my birthday in the USA, without my family handy to share it with. This year I have my parents, but not my husband. It's a funny old world. As it turns out, Clyde will be arriving in Greece the afternoon after us, so that's a pretty decent present in itself.
(Although I'd like some more, too, please.)
Friday, September 30, 2005
Mary Wesley
Yesterday I read An Imaginative Experience by Mary Wesley. It was a re-read, because I have read it once or twice before. I like the book, but find a lot of it forgettable between reads. Perhaps the last couple of times I had read the first chapter only, and stopped.
My favourite of Wesley's is actually her last book, Part of the Furniture. Others will tell you that The Camomile Lawn is her best. Again, it was good once or twice, but I forgot it between readings and I came to find that I didn't really care for the characters. It was one of those been there, done that type books after a time. I feel sort of the same about Joanna Trollope novels. Although with those I now don't feel like reading new ones, either.
But Part of the Furniture has stuck in my mind. Last year I found a hardback copy, as new, in a used book shop and read it for probably the fourth or fifth time. Every time I find something new in it to understand or enjoy. I think those are probably the best novels. The ones you can read again as you age and understand better each time. Not that I didn't understand it the first time, in my late teens or early twenties, but now I have a better understanding in myself of all those emotional and physical yearnings.
It has been years since I've read the rest of Wesley's adult novels. The third of my favourites is Jumping the Queue. I have it on the pile of bedside reading to glance at while I'm here. I might not get to it this trip, but if not I have it at home in the US, too. There is one book of Wesley's that I have not read at all, yet. A Dubious Legacy. One of these times I'll get to it.
In the meantime, I recommend you look up the works of Mary Wesley. Chances are, you'll enjoy them.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Gas Price Check
Just a quick note, a little food for thought for those of you who have recently had a surprise with the rise of gas in the US:
Based on a Pennsylvania price of $2.85 per gallon over the weekend, Clyde and I calculated that the price in the UK right now is about $7.00 per gallon!
Everything is relative.
Based on a Pennsylvania price of $2.85 per gallon over the weekend, Clyde and I calculated that the price in the UK right now is about $7.00 per gallon!
Everything is relative.
On the Life of Plum
I finished my second read of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince a few days ago. I have some theories, but I'm just going to keep sitting on them because I know there are people reading this blog that have not yet had the chance to read the book.
Since then, I caught up with Stephanie Plum, in the Janet Evanovich series about the chaotic New Jersey Bounty Hunter. I was going to say inept, but frankly she usually gets her man, even if there's frequently a close call with rubbish in the process. I read Ten Big Ones as a refresher, and followed it up with Eleven On Top. While I loved the sexy, flirty nature of Ten Big Ones, I didn't think it was the better books in the series. Evanovich pretty much ended the story as soon as the bad guy was caught - and yes, I realise that you can't go on and on with the story once you've completed the plot, but I thought it stopped rather suddenly. Eleven On Top, however, was much better. Much more a reminder of her original style of writing. She managed to develop several key characters and give the plotlines a little more substance. I was genuinely freaked out by some of the creepy stuff (I was reading in bed in the middle of the night in a house that creaks and rustles), and I figured out the twist around the same moment as Stephanie. I liked the very ending, too.
And this is funny - for a long time, I, like Stephanie, seemed convinced that she should stick to Morelli because he seemed the most stable of the two men in her life. He's got a decent job, blah blah blah. But now I find that my opinion has swung much more in the direction of Ranger. Sure, he might work outside of the law and have a dark secret, but he loves her. He has more depth. And they seem to be able to communicate better than she does with Morelli. I don't know. It's just a book, some would say. These are made up characters. But I like make believe better than real life a lot of the time. Books make things so easy. Real life is more difficult because when faced with hard choices, we know that there's always a possibility of some one being hurt. So many variables.
And so, books and Buffy.
Since then, I caught up with Stephanie Plum, in the Janet Evanovich series about the chaotic New Jersey Bounty Hunter. I was going to say inept, but frankly she usually gets her man, even if there's frequently a close call with rubbish in the process. I read Ten Big Ones as a refresher, and followed it up with Eleven On Top. While I loved the sexy, flirty nature of Ten Big Ones, I didn't think it was the better books in the series. Evanovich pretty much ended the story as soon as the bad guy was caught - and yes, I realise that you can't go on and on with the story once you've completed the plot, but I thought it stopped rather suddenly. Eleven On Top, however, was much better. Much more a reminder of her original style of writing. She managed to develop several key characters and give the plotlines a little more substance. I was genuinely freaked out by some of the creepy stuff (I was reading in bed in the middle of the night in a house that creaks and rustles), and I figured out the twist around the same moment as Stephanie. I liked the very ending, too.
And this is funny - for a long time, I, like Stephanie, seemed convinced that she should stick to Morelli because he seemed the most stable of the two men in her life. He's got a decent job, blah blah blah. But now I find that my opinion has swung much more in the direction of Ranger. Sure, he might work outside of the law and have a dark secret, but he loves her. He has more depth. And they seem to be able to communicate better than she does with Morelli. I don't know. It's just a book, some would say. These are made up characters. But I like make believe better than real life a lot of the time. Books make things so easy. Real life is more difficult because when faced with hard choices, we know that there's always a possibility of some one being hurt. So many variables.
And so, books and Buffy.
Windy Autumnal Days
I'm sitting in looking out a full wall of window, at an idyllic scene of English countryside. Lots of green trees and a meadow beyond the little stone wall. There are birds on the feeders. Usually squirrels eyeing the feeders, too. But not yet today.
When it's a blowy day, as it has been these last couple, I am reminded of the poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, from A Child's Garden of Verses:
When it's a blowy day, as it has been these last couple, I am reminded of the poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, from A Child's Garden of Verses:
Whenever the moon and stars are set,
Whenever the wind is high,
All night long in the dark and wet,
A man goes riding by.
Late in the night when the fires are out,
Late in the night when the fires are out,
Why does he gallop and gallop about?
Whenever the trees are crying aloud,
And ships are tossed at sea,
By, on the highway, low and loud,
By at the gallop goes he.
By at the gallop he goes, and then
By he comes back at the gallop again.
I like blowy, windy autumnal days. I haven't been in England at this time of year for a full five years now, and it is my favourite time. Not least because it is my birthday next week. September and October feels like a time of renewal to me. Perhaps that's just because of the birthday aspect, and maybe everyone feels like that around their celebratory time. But somehow I think that it's just me.
Yesterday I stood in a field with pigs and horses, found myself nuzzled by a lovely dappled rose horse. He was seventeen hands. A big boy. He smelled me up and down, checking out the scent of outdoor cat, ducks, dogs and chickens. Then he blew into the hair at the top of my head. It made me giggle. But if I had more time that afternoon, I would have stood in the open field nuzzling with this lovely spirit and enjoying the wind as it blew through the trees.
I like blowy, windy autumnal days. I haven't been in England at this time of year for a full five years now, and it is my favourite time. Not least because it is my birthday next week. September and October feels like a time of renewal to me. Perhaps that's just because of the birthday aspect, and maybe everyone feels like that around their celebratory time. But somehow I think that it's just me.
Yesterday I stood in a field with pigs and horses, found myself nuzzled by a lovely dappled rose horse. He was seventeen hands. A big boy. He smelled me up and down, checking out the scent of outdoor cat, ducks, dogs and chickens. Then he blew into the hair at the top of my head. It made me giggle. But if I had more time that afternoon, I would have stood in the open field nuzzling with this lovely spirit and enjoying the wind as it blew through the trees.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Stat Check
Hey, this is really interesting:
Most of the people reading this blog, are, predictably, reading from within the USA. Some of them are reading from England, also predictable. I told my friends about it, and the idea was originally to be able to keep in touch with people I already knew, so obviously it's working to some extent. I have some who read regularly, and some who drop in once a month or so.
But this evening I looked up my stat counter and I learned that I have visitors from the Virgin Islands, Israel and Albania!
Someone in Albania found this site while searching the internet for information on beans. What an amazing thing this (the internet) is. We really are a World Wide Web.
If you're one of those people, please come back and tell me how you came across Literary Seeds. You can comment anonymously if you prefer.
Most of the people reading this blog, are, predictably, reading from within the USA. Some of them are reading from England, also predictable. I told my friends about it, and the idea was originally to be able to keep in touch with people I already knew, so obviously it's working to some extent. I have some who read regularly, and some who drop in once a month or so.
But this evening I looked up my stat counter and I learned that I have visitors from the Virgin Islands, Israel and Albania!
Someone in Albania found this site while searching the internet for information on beans. What an amazing thing this (the internet) is. We really are a World Wide Web.
If you're one of those people, please come back and tell me how you came across Literary Seeds. You can comment anonymously if you prefer.
I'm baaa-ck
I have not forgotten the blog. I'm back. Actually, I'm away, not back. But that's neither here nor there.
I'm posting from England, as those of you who have been paying attention will recall. I arrived yesterday morning and slept a good part of yesterday, although mostly through the night. It is now one a.m. again, and I was moved to send an email to a nearly teenage friend of mine, so I thought I'd pop on here and remind you all that I exist.
England, or at least, our little corner of it, was rainy today. It was a snuggle up in the house with an open fire sort of a day. I managed to keep the fire going for more than twelve hours, I'm pleased to report. Every time it thought it would die down, I threw another log on and it revived. We also spent a good bit of time dead-heading geraniums in the greenhouse, and I helped my Mum remove the tomatoes which had grown a lurgy of sorts and were covered in white fly.
After dinner and during a haphazard discussion of Jason and the Argonauts (or Jason and the Chicken Nuggets as one two year old I know refers to it as) I was moved to Google exactly who the Furies, Muses, Graces and Harpies were. I could tell you, but someone would correct my pronunciation. And at this time of night, my transliterate-spelling.
I'm half way through the latest Harry Potter book again, for the second time in two months. At least this time I can skip the bits where Ron and Hermy are getting on one anothers nerves. I'm sort of looking for clues about what has happened and what's to come. I also started Word Freak, by Stefan Fatsis (you might have heard him on NPR), and Murder Plays House, by Ayelet Waldman. I'm reading Half Blood Prince as "comforting" jet lagged night time reading. Word Freak is good, and he's not kidding. I thought I was doing well by completing 300 point (Scrabble) games, but these people are making nearly 600 points per game! I obviously have a lot to learn, or memorise, if it comes to that. Not that I'm planning on competing. I play for fun. And I find doing a lot of crosswords has really helped me develop my Scrabble skills.
I'm posting from England, as those of you who have been paying attention will recall. I arrived yesterday morning and slept a good part of yesterday, although mostly through the night. It is now one a.m. again, and I was moved to send an email to a nearly teenage friend of mine, so I thought I'd pop on here and remind you all that I exist.
England, or at least, our little corner of it, was rainy today. It was a snuggle up in the house with an open fire sort of a day. I managed to keep the fire going for more than twelve hours, I'm pleased to report. Every time it thought it would die down, I threw another log on and it revived. We also spent a good bit of time dead-heading geraniums in the greenhouse, and I helped my Mum remove the tomatoes which had grown a lurgy of sorts and were covered in white fly.
After dinner and during a haphazard discussion of Jason and the Argonauts (or Jason and the Chicken Nuggets as one two year old I know refers to it as) I was moved to Google exactly who the Furies, Muses, Graces and Harpies were. I could tell you, but someone would correct my pronunciation. And at this time of night, my transliterate-spelling.
I'm half way through the latest Harry Potter book again, for the second time in two months. At least this time I can skip the bits where Ron and Hermy are getting on one anothers nerves. I'm sort of looking for clues about what has happened and what's to come. I also started Word Freak, by Stefan Fatsis (you might have heard him on NPR), and Murder Plays House, by Ayelet Waldman. I'm reading Half Blood Prince as "comforting" jet lagged night time reading. Word Freak is good, and he's not kidding. I thought I was doing well by completing 300 point (Scrabble) games, but these people are making nearly 600 points per game! I obviously have a lot to learn, or memorise, if it comes to that. Not that I'm planning on competing. I play for fun. And I find doing a lot of crosswords has really helped me develop my Scrabble skills.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Yoga update
Just a quick note, as I have an appointment at 11am and it's a quarter to, now.
The yoga I'm doing is not Hatha yoga at all. It's yoga for strength, based on the work of Ana Forrest in California. I don't know her at all, but this is what I've garnered from going to yoga two to three times a week since my original post on the subject.
It's a real workout, put it that way.
The yoga I'm doing is not Hatha yoga at all. It's yoga for strength, based on the work of Ana Forrest in California. I don't know her at all, but this is what I've garnered from going to yoga two to three times a week since my original post on the subject.
It's a real workout, put it that way.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Latest reads
I should admit that I'm reading the Harry Potter books again from the beginning, as I threatened I might, a few days ago. I started number three last night, and am having a great time going over the old stuff. I can't believe it's really six years since I read this one! It's good to go back in part because one gets to remember hints about the later part of the story. Piece together all the parts of the jigsaw. And of course it's a good way to get more Harry while waiting for the next one to come out, and the film of number four at Christmas. I saw a preview the other day and it looks good, even if Ron does have weird hippy hair.
I've also been reading a fair bit of health related non fiction. I picked up Patricia Cornwell's latest paperback, Trace, when someone gave it to me for free. I read the first paragraph and threw the book to the floor. Ugh. I just can't stomach the terrible writing anymore.
I've saving the more recent Ayelet Waldman mysteries for the plane journey and my holiday in the UK next month. I think I have three to catch up with and one of them is still in hardback, but that's fine. I know of two other people I can share it with after I get to enjoy it!
I've also been reading a fair bit of health related non fiction. I picked up Patricia Cornwell's latest paperback, Trace, when someone gave it to me for free. I read the first paragraph and threw the book to the floor. Ugh. I just can't stomach the terrible writing anymore.
I've saving the more recent Ayelet Waldman mysteries for the plane journey and my holiday in the UK next month. I think I have three to catch up with and one of them is still in hardback, but that's fine. I know of two other people I can share it with after I get to enjoy it!
Goodness Me
Well, then. I'm sorry to have been away so long, but I am living between computers at the moment. I am writing now from my Fella's Linux OS in the basement, but even it cuts off my net connection every ten minutes or so that it deems I haven't been active (i.e. I'm composing a post and not loading another web page).
Last Monday night, the boy named R came to read with me. We got on swimmingly. He read to me, I read to him, he read to me, I read to him, he read to me. Selections included George's Marvelous Medicine and the first in the Magic Tree House series. R read three chapters of the latter to me, and I hope to knock out the rest of that book before I leave for the UK in mid-September. After that, I'll have him read the rest of the series (!) to me.
I admit that I didn't go to Cliveden Park this evening because Clyde went away on business, taking his keys to the House with him. Although frankly I'm not keen on driving in that part of Philadelphia alone anyhow. So I didn't go tonight. I feel guilty because there was really no way for me to tell the kids we weren't coming, except not to go...
We've been harvesting lots and lots of tomatoes, and yesterday I dug up four rows of potatoes. I have photos, but it's a drag having to fiddle about with two computers to load them up while I'm down here, so I'll hold off for a few more days. The good news on this front is that I will be buying a new computer in the next few days. A NEW computer! Wow, such extravagance. I'm very excited.
There's an interesting story in The Independent today about the medicine Vioxx. The company that manufactured the drug is one of the local big companies in our neighbourhood. We've been hearing a lot about Vioxx in recent months. As a matter of fact, when we lived back in California, a doctor gave me some samples to help combat back pain. After reading all the small print I decided against taking the pills, and now I'm rather glad I didn't.
Last Monday night, the boy named R came to read with me. We got on swimmingly. He read to me, I read to him, he read to me, I read to him, he read to me. Selections included George's Marvelous Medicine and the first in the Magic Tree House series. R read three chapters of the latter to me, and I hope to knock out the rest of that book before I leave for the UK in mid-September. After that, I'll have him read the rest of the series (!) to me.
I admit that I didn't go to Cliveden Park this evening because Clyde went away on business, taking his keys to the House with him. Although frankly I'm not keen on driving in that part of Philadelphia alone anyhow. So I didn't go tonight. I feel guilty because there was really no way for me to tell the kids we weren't coming, except not to go...
We've been harvesting lots and lots of tomatoes, and yesterday I dug up four rows of potatoes. I have photos, but it's a drag having to fiddle about with two computers to load them up while I'm down here, so I'll hold off for a few more days. The good news on this front is that I will be buying a new computer in the next few days. A NEW computer! Wow, such extravagance. I'm very excited.
There's an interesting story in The Independent today about the medicine Vioxx. The company that manufactured the drug is one of the local big companies in our neighbourhood. We've been hearing a lot about Vioxx in recent months. As a matter of fact, when we lived back in California, a doctor gave me some samples to help combat back pain. After reading all the small print I decided against taking the pills, and now I'm rather glad I didn't.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Monday Monday
The Monday at the beginning of this week was worse than last week. No kids showed up at all - for math or reading. We gave them an hour - an hour in which I read half of Bunnicula - and then we drove home. I think the lack of kids is probably because it's August, and that night it was also stormy with lightning and rain showers. When school starts, they'll be back! With homework, I expect.Bunnicula is fantasticly funny. I think it will be one of the books we give our soon to be seven year old niece for her birthday. Apparently she went all the way through Hooked On Phonics and is now "a reader", at least by her Dad's standards - though he is not a reader. I still can't always believe I married into a family of people who (mostly) don't read for pleasure. Which is why it's my goal to give the nieces lots and lots of books to use as jumping off points. Unfortunately six-nearly-seven loves Barbie above and beyond all else. Their house is full of pink plastic. So, if she's now "a reader", I need to foster that notion.
However I did note that he was reading a considerably longer chapter book to her - one about dogs by Bill Wallace - and I know that she loves all things Rabbits. I'm looking into the Animal Ark series, because so far that I'm up to date she wants to be a vet when she grows up. Pony Pals might be closer to her reading level but of course it's just about horses.
I also plan to look for some nice copies of the classic childrens books, something she can cherish. That way I can also ensure that I don't buy duplicates of books I've already given in the past.
By the by, Esme Codell's book, How to Get Your Child to Love Reading has lists and lists and lists of suggestions for children who like individual animals, or individual hobbies, et cetera. Niece loves rabbbits, and there's a list of ten or twelve books that feature rabbits. Which is great because other than Peter Rabbit and that Eric Rohmann book that won the Caldecott recently, I don't think I could have though of many off the top of my head.
Computer Hassles
Bleah. I've been having a nightmare of a time with my internet browsers. They crash and crash and crash. I think the computer is on it's last legs. So, if I don't post for a few days, that's why.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Harry Potter Hang Over
I'm bereft. I finished the last Harry Potter book this afternoon. I had tried to read it sparingly, so I wasn't done with it too quickly, but I still finished it. And now I don't know what to read. A house full of books, and nothing appeals to me.
I'm not going into spoilers because there's bound to be someone out there who hasn't read it yet but wants to.
I feel like I do when I get to the end of a Buffy DVD marathon: "Time to go back to the beginning." But I know the ending will come all over again. You see, I'm coming off books five and six, so 1100+ pages of Potter and friends in ten days.
What to do, what to do....
I'm not going into spoilers because there's bound to be someone out there who hasn't read it yet but wants to.
I feel like I do when I get to the end of a Buffy DVD marathon: "Time to go back to the beginning." But I know the ending will come all over again. You see, I'm coming off books five and six, so 1100+ pages of Potter and friends in ten days.
What to do, what to do....
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Yoga
I went to a yoga class on Friday afternoon. It was the first one in five years, so I was out of practice, to put it mildly. It was regular old Hatha yoga, I think. Fairly gentle by yoga enthusiast standpoints, but still moderately intense for someone out of shape. I enjoyed the class a great deal. I was one of only three students, which meant the teacher had time to come around and help us with our postures and poses where necessary. I felt fatigued and at the same time, happy, at the end of the hour.
It wasn't until evening that I felt the results kicking in. I slept like a log. On getting up yesterday, I felt like someone had given all those muscles I'd forgotten about a good hard poke with a sharp stick. I'm still stiff today, in part because of our activities in the garden yesterday.
I purchased a month's worth of unlimited classes for $69, which seems like a great deal (first timer's only, of course), which means I can take up to seven classes a week if I want. I'll probably take more like four or five. Some of them are twice a day with a few hours between. I can go hang out at the garden in between times as the studio is quite near the garden, and neither are very close to our house.
I have not exercised today. Unless watching four episodes of Dead Like Me on DVD counts.
Does an hour of yoga count towards cardio, do you think? It was sweaty work.
It wasn't until evening that I felt the results kicking in. I slept like a log. On getting up yesterday, I felt like someone had given all those muscles I'd forgotten about a good hard poke with a sharp stick. I'm still stiff today, in part because of our activities in the garden yesterday.
I purchased a month's worth of unlimited classes for $69, which seems like a great deal (first timer's only, of course), which means I can take up to seven classes a week if I want. I'll probably take more like four or five. Some of them are twice a day with a few hours between. I can go hang out at the garden in between times as the studio is quite near the garden, and neither are very close to our house.
I have not exercised today. Unless watching four episodes of Dead Like Me on DVD counts.
Does an hour of yoga count towards cardio, do you think? It was sweaty work.
Garden Update
I'm exhausted. Yesterday we worked in the garden for four hours in temperatures upwards of 86 degrees. We kicked ass, watering the plants with 38 gallons of water we brought from home. I keep a rain barrel (water butt) outside the back door and have been filling up plastic gallon jugs everytime I collect them from the friend who buys them (full of milk). So after filling them and saving the excess water from the barrel, we took all the water over to the kitchen garden yesterday. And then carted a wheel barrow full of water jugs up and down to the garden two or three times. While I did this, Clyde set about installing the wooden stake-trellises we had made at home beforehand (here's some we made earlier). We banged the stakes into the earth and then tied the tomato and pepper plants to them. The plants we had staked previously had fallen over from the weight of the leaves.
It looks as though we will have a good crop of both peppers and tomatoes, but will have to wait a little while. Neither group has turned red yet. Lots of green fruit. Speaking of which, I harvested our first three cucumbers on Friday night.
It looks as though we will have a good crop of both peppers and tomatoes, but will have to wait a little while. Neither group has turned red yet. Lots of green fruit. Speaking of which, I harvested our first three cucumbers on Friday night.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Exercise much?
One of the books I'm reading as part of my coursework is The Energy Balance Diet, by Joshua Rosenthal. Rosenthal is the founder of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, so my assumption is that this is a fairly important text in the coursework.
Reading chapter five this afternoon - I haven't read the whole thing in once piece - our warm up call homework has usually asked us to read a particular chapter at a time, but not necessarily in order. The point which was made about that is that sometimes you only "get" what is being said when you read a solitary chapter at a time. Thus, last month it was chapter five, this month, chapters nine and ten. Anyway, today - chapter five - I stopped dead in my sitting-in-an-armchair-tracks when I read the following:
"Moderate exercise has been shown again and again to produce remarkable health benefits. The Journal of the American Medical Association (Dec. 18, 1991) reported a study that showed that a leisurely walk at three miles per hour can significantly reduce a women's risk of heart attack. One of the ways it does this, scientists have found, is by increasing HDL levels, the cholesterol that protects you from heart attack and stroke.
But even less than 30 minutes, four to five times a week, can produce a benefit. Women who walked for just an hour a week had half the risk of suffering a heart attack as women who did not walk at all, according to Harvard University's Women's Health Study. "
Rosenthal goes on to describe a study of 13,000 people which takes place over an eight year time frame, in which the subjects are divided into five groups, depending on their rate of exercise. The greatest difference between the groups is the one between the first group, who are sedentary, and the second group, who walk for 30 minutes three to four times a week. The difference between these two groups is larger than the differences between the second group and the third, fourth and fifth groups - who range from people who exercise four to five times a week on up to athletes and marathon runners. The difference between the first and second groups is illustrated with the point that the people walking 30 minutes, three to four times a week cut their chances of suffering a heart attack or cancer in half, over the couch potatoes in group one.
He also reports that the study, also published in the Journal of the American Health Association, states "that cancer rates differed dramatically among the five groups. The men who didn't exercise had 4 times more incidences of cancer than those who were physically fit. Women who were sedentary had 16 times the cancer rate than those who were physically fit."
***
Makes me glad I walked a mile on my treadmill this morning.
Isn't it amazing that people can tell you stuff all your life and you don't hear it until you're ready?
First Beans
This is the sum of our first harvest of beans. I've been picking them as they were ready, because it seems like the green beans are especially enticing to some of our bird (I assume) population. The yellow ones, not so much. Actually, mostly whoever it is eats the leaves and not the beans themselves, or at least, not yet. I try to beat them to it by harvesting as the crop is ripe. Anyway, I picked these and we ate them lightly steamed with basil dressed chicken pieces one evening last week.
Yum.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
August 1st
At the beginning of August, nobody came. Two students for maths (T & R), and no one for reading. Which ended up suiting me fine, as I was only 150 pages from the end of Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix, and I ended up reading almost to the end of the book in the two and a half hours I sat in the air conditioned room in a squashy armchair.
I imagine people were taking holidays and getting over the end of Summer Camp. I know the most important thing that I can do is show up when I say I will, so that the kids begin to understand that I'm an adult they can rely upon. Hopefully in time, more people will show up for reading. I assume things will pick up when school starts, as the children will likely have homework.
In the meanwhile, I'll get a fair bit of reading done!
I finished my re-read of HP5 late last night - I saved it until the dinner was done, the husband was in bed, the dishes were washed, etc. and I could curl up in my chair and finish that book, while the next one sat on the table nearby, waiting. I think I read about a page and a half of the new one before finally calling it a night.
I imagine people were taking holidays and getting over the end of Summer Camp. I know the most important thing that I can do is show up when I say I will, so that the kids begin to understand that I'm an adult they can rely upon. Hopefully in time, more people will show up for reading. I assume things will pick up when school starts, as the children will likely have homework.
In the meanwhile, I'll get a fair bit of reading done!
I finished my re-read of HP5 late last night - I saved it until the dinner was done, the husband was in bed, the dishes were washed, etc. and I could curl up in my chair and finish that book, while the next one sat on the table nearby, waiting. I think I read about a page and a half of the new one before finally calling it a night.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Three new students
So last Monday evening I went into the city for class. When Clyde picked me up at the train station, the car died. We called and waited for Triple A (AA for those in the UK), who came in good time considering it was over 90 degrees and rush hour. They gave us a jump and we went on our way.
We were a half hour late for class, but no one seemed to mind. The place was full with kids of all ages. Mostly they were doing some crafts for the end of Summer Camp picnic, but a bunch went upstairs with Clyde to do some mathematics. Three little boys were waiting for me.
I introduced myself. They looked like they were all related, and the same age. Turns out one of them was nine, the others seven and six. They are unrelated. The nine year old, Y, is disruptive. I don't really know how to deal with disruptive students - can anyone offer advice? Clyde says to let it get so far and then say something like "Enough!" with an authoritarian tone of voice, and I admit I didn't try it. I have no idea of Y's background, but he seemed like a talktalktalkative child.
The other two, R and L, were sweet boys. Both were interested in reading aloud for quite a long while. I was impressed, really, that they held out so long. First L picked up a Frances book and determinedly read the words on the page, sounding out where he had to. He wasn't a skilled enough reader to really get the story, only the words. And the songs were a little vexing, but he did notice that they rhymed! After a time, and a disruption, I pulled out Danny and the Dinosaur and asked him to read that with me. He read about half before giving in to the temptation of running about and shooting the shit with Y. As much shit as you shoot when you're seven.
Y kept whining about when he was "gonna" be allowed to go up and do math. By that point, I was getting ready to read to them instead of having them read to me. I had picked out George's Marvelous Medicine, by Dahl, and was sitting waiting. Sweet little R was by my side, eager to hear me start, but I had to wait on Y and L to settle. In the end, I asked them if they wanted to do math. They replied to the affirmative and so I went up with them and requested that Clyde give them some problems to do. Eventually he was able to calm them down to a little more work. Of course, they are young and undisciplined, and I do not grudge them these things. I am not very disciplined either. But I do try to show respect when someone else is talking, or giving of their time to help me. If they come again next week, I will see what I can do to better address the situation.
Small boy R sat and listened while we read nearly half of George's Marvelous Medicine. He was intelligent and interested and made remarks about the fabled medicine. We laughed over the concoction and wondered about what we might make. By the time eight thirty rolled around, his eyelids were drooping. I wouldn't have read as far as we did, but Ms T from the previous week tired of her math tuition and asked if she could read to us for a while. I readily accepted.
At the end of the evening, R said he'd come back every Monday night because he enjoyed the reading. Which is a great bonus for me.
I realise I have to let go of trying to control what happens with this thing. I can't control it. I'll never know who will show up one week or the next. Little Ms B of Harry Potter 1 didn't come this week and I missed her smiling face. I hope to see her again. In the meantime, I'll supply the books and be there to listen while they struggle through the words and listen when I read. If I only help two or three young people, that's more than I might have done had I been too selfish or shy to put in the effort.
A quick addendum: It's not that I want to "control" my reading time at Cliveden Park. It is what it is. It's just that I hope to have some regularity and structure eventually. It's a lot to wish for the first two times the children show up.
We were a half hour late for class, but no one seemed to mind. The place was full with kids of all ages. Mostly they were doing some crafts for the end of Summer Camp picnic, but a bunch went upstairs with Clyde to do some mathematics. Three little boys were waiting for me.
I introduced myself. They looked like they were all related, and the same age. Turns out one of them was nine, the others seven and six. They are unrelated. The nine year old, Y, is disruptive. I don't really know how to deal with disruptive students - can anyone offer advice? Clyde says to let it get so far and then say something like "Enough!" with an authoritarian tone of voice, and I admit I didn't try it. I have no idea of Y's background, but he seemed like a talktalktalkative child.
The other two, R and L, were sweet boys. Both were interested in reading aloud for quite a long while. I was impressed, really, that they held out so long. First L picked up a Frances book and determinedly read the words on the page, sounding out where he had to. He wasn't a skilled enough reader to really get the story, only the words. And the songs were a little vexing, but he did notice that they rhymed! After a time, and a disruption, I pulled out Danny and the Dinosaur and asked him to read that with me. He read about half before giving in to the temptation of running about and shooting the shit with Y. As much shit as you shoot when you're seven.
Y kept whining about when he was "gonna" be allowed to go up and do math. By that point, I was getting ready to read to them instead of having them read to me. I had picked out George's Marvelous Medicine, by Dahl, and was sitting waiting. Sweet little R was by my side, eager to hear me start, but I had to wait on Y and L to settle. In the end, I asked them if they wanted to do math. They replied to the affirmative and so I went up with them and requested that Clyde give them some problems to do. Eventually he was able to calm them down to a little more work. Of course, they are young and undisciplined, and I do not grudge them these things. I am not very disciplined either. But I do try to show respect when someone else is talking, or giving of their time to help me. If they come again next week, I will see what I can do to better address the situation.
Small boy R sat and listened while we read nearly half of George's Marvelous Medicine. He was intelligent and interested and made remarks about the fabled medicine. We laughed over the concoction and wondered about what we might make. By the time eight thirty rolled around, his eyelids were drooping. I wouldn't have read as far as we did, but Ms T from the previous week tired of her math tuition and asked if she could read to us for a while. I readily accepted.
At the end of the evening, R said he'd come back every Monday night because he enjoyed the reading. Which is a great bonus for me.
I realise I have to let go of trying to control what happens with this thing. I can't control it. I'll never know who will show up one week or the next. Little Ms B of Harry Potter 1 didn't come this week and I missed her smiling face. I hope to see her again. In the meantime, I'll supply the books and be there to listen while they struggle through the words and listen when I read. If I only help two or three young people, that's more than I might have done had I been too selfish or shy to put in the effort.
A quick addendum: It's not that I want to "control" my reading time at Cliveden Park. It is what it is. It's just that I hope to have some regularity and structure eventually. It's a lot to wish for the first two times the children show up.
Bliss
I perused a copy of my friend Danyel's book, Bliss this week while I was at a certain local chain store. I haven't purchased a copy yet because I like to sit with a book for a while before buying it, especially as lately I have only found fiction for young people very appealing and easy to read, but just by handling this book I felt that I wanted to read it. I only had time to skim the first few paragraphs, but in doing so I knew that I had to make a date to go and sit and read some more of it sometime soon.
If nothing else, the cover is all shiny and smooth. I like shiny.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
I hate to start all my posts with a big "wow", but I went to see the aforementioned in the cinema today, and I really need to say Wow! I was feeling a little trepidious about seeing it because frankly, it looked like it was going to be weird, but who can resist Tim Burton and Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter (with incredibly bad teeth!) and the gorgeous sweet little boy from Finding Neverland, Freddie Highmore? Danny Elfman's music. Danny Elfman is... grand.
I will admit to not having read the story for many years, so I can't say how much the film stuck to the book, but it felt like it did. I found myself wondering if there might be a Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator in the Burton-Depp future. And I loved the Oompa Loompa(s). Oh! and the opening sequence was fabulous.
Go. See it in the theatre. There's something for everyone.
I will admit to not having read the story for many years, so I can't say how much the film stuck to the book, but it felt like it did. I found myself wondering if there might be a Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator in the Burton-Depp future. And I loved the Oompa Loompa(s). Oh! and the opening sequence was fabulous.
Go. See it in the theatre. There's something for everyone.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Bridge to Terabithia
Wow. I finished it in one gulp yesterday, all teary eyed. The library has two copies now, so assuming the kids come back, I hope to try one on a boy and one on a girl. I imagine it would appeal to both of them. I know it's a book that's been a great influence on some people - there's one young woman I know who uses Terabithia as her login name online. It might be a great assumption, but I think this is one of her favourite books.
I'm reading ahead in Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, so we can make some headway with it during the read-aloud portion of tomorrow night. I think if I stay two chapters ahead, I should be fine. Bearing in mind that two chapters is a good thirty pages each time.
I'm off to the local chain shop - my only selection for new books (or any books) - near by, later on. I want to browse the Encyclopedia Brown section and see what I might find that looks appealing (and short) for the boys in the club. (Thank you, L.)
Other things on the agenda today: Washing the cars, watching the japanese beetles fly into the beetle trap I installed yesterday, weeding around the base of the yellow rose, vacuuming the downstairs, making lasagna a la KB's recipe. Mostly I feel like it's a lazy day. The last few weekend's have been busy with family gatherings and so forth.
Next sunday I am hosting a potluck for my fellow students at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. It will be the first time any of us have met face to face, and I'm hoping it will be a good opportunity to make some connections before the class starts in November. From what I understand, each class has around one thousand students, so it will be happy-making to know a few faces in the crowd.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Encyclopedia Brown
I'm almost finished with The Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson, which is a winner. I can see why so many people have recommended it. I'm keeping it in mind to offer to B on Monday evening. I think she'd like it, but I am still concerned it might be a little old for her. I plan on having the kids choose a book using the technique outlined in Esme Codell's How to Get Your Child to Love Reading - you have the child pick out a book, and then read/skim the first page, while holding one hand as a fist. As they find words that are difficult, or which they don't understand, they raise one finger. If, by the end of the page, they have 0-3 fingers raised, the book is probably a good level for them. If they have more than 3 fingers raised, it is probably too difficult.
I'd like each of the girls to do this on Monday, and as it's possible I'll have a couple of boys coming along too, it will be a good start to getting some structure to my Monday evening class.
I'm keeping The Skin I'm In by Sharon G Flake in mind for R this week. It's another one I have to finish before the end of the weekend, but I don't think it will pose a problem. It's a good book, so far.
One of the boys I met on Thursday evening (at a community meeting at the house) said he likes Encyclopedia Brown stories. As far as I know, we don't have any, and I am not familiar with them as far as reading. I have shelved them for years in my role as bookseller. So if you have a couple of old Encyclopedia Brown books kicking around that you'd like to send, I'd be grateful. And while we're on the subject, what else might I recommend to this young man?
I'd like each of the girls to do this on Monday, and as it's possible I'll have a couple of boys coming along too, it will be a good start to getting some structure to my Monday evening class.
I'm keeping The Skin I'm In by Sharon G Flake in mind for R this week. It's another one I have to finish before the end of the weekend, but I don't think it will pose a problem. It's a good book, so far.
One of the boys I met on Thursday evening (at a community meeting at the house) said he likes Encyclopedia Brown stories. As far as I know, we don't have any, and I am not familiar with them as far as reading. I have shelved them for years in my role as bookseller. So if you have a couple of old Encyclopedia Brown books kicking around that you'd like to send, I'd be grateful. And while we're on the subject, what else might I recommend to this young man?
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Pink Zinnia
I grew this Zinnia from seed. It is one of a variety called "Peggy's Delight", from Seeds of Change. The colours are mixed and bright. This pink is surrounded by orange and gold, and I love the shade of green for the leaves.
Intermediate Fiction & Non Fiction Requests
I'll accept any titles aimed at ages 7-13, but these titles are specifically requested.
Fiction
Any titles by the following authors: Louis Sachar, Carolyn Keene, Franklin W Dixon, Phyllis Naylor, Barbara Park, Lemony Snicket.
Dear Mr Henshaw – Beverly Cleary
Bud, Not Buddy - Christopher Paul Curtis
Catherine, Called Birdy – Karen Cushman
The BFG - Roald Dahl
Danny, the Champion of the World - Roald Dahl
Knight’s Castle – Edward Eager
Harriet the Spy – Louise Fitzhugh
I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly, (Dear America) - Joyce Hansen
Dave at Night - Gail Carson Levine
Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine
Number the Stars – Lois Lowry
The Giver - Lois Lowry
Gathering Blue – Lois Lowry
Five Children and It – E. Nesbit
The Would-Be-Goods – E. Nesbit
The Enchanted Castle – E. Nesbit
The Borrowers – Mary Norton
A Picture of Freedom (Dear America) - Patricia C. Mckissack
Silverwing - Kenneth Oppel
Jacob Have I Loved – Katherine Paterson
Hatchet - Gary Paulsen
Addy: An American Girl/Boxed Set (American Girls Collection) - Connie Rose Porter
The Shadow in the North – Philip Pullman
The Tiger in the Well – Philip Pullman
His Dark Materials box set (Golden Compass, Subtle Knife, Amber Spyglass) – Philip Pullman
The Westing Game – Ellen Raskin
Missing May - Cynthia Rylant
The Wayside School box set – Louis Sachar
There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom! – Louis Sachar
A Bad Beginning – Lemony Snicket
Mary Poppins – P.L. Travers
Homecoming – Cynthia Voigt
Non-Fiction
The Care and Keeping of You, (American Girl Library)
The Feelings Book (Amer. Girl Lib.)
Oops! A Manners Guide (Amer. Girl. Lib)
The Care and Keeping of Friends (Amer. Girl Lib.)
The Star Spangled Banner – Amy Winstead
The Story of Ruby Bridges – Robert Coles
Rachel, The Story of Rachel Carson – Amy Ehrlich
A Is For Abigail – Lynne Cheney
The Sky’s The Limit: Stories of Discoveries by Women and Girls – Catherine Thimmesh
Constitution Translated for Kids – Cathy Travis
Remember the Ladies: 100 Great American Women – Cheryl Harness
Rabble Rousers: 20 Women Who Made a Difference – Cheryl Harness
The Ghosts of the White House – Cheryl Harness
Vote! - Eileen Christelow
So You Want to Be President? – Judith St George
Pyramid – David Macaulay
Underground – David Macaulay
The New Way Things Work – David Macaulay
Nat’l Geo World Atlas for Young Explorers, Rev. & Expanded Edition - National Geographic
Ocean - DK Eyewitness Books
Jungle – DK Eyewitness Books
Any other DK Eyewitness Books, except “Mummy”
DK First Dictionary
First Human Body Encyclopedia (DK) – Penny Smith
Please contact me for a mailing address.
Fiction
Any titles by the following authors: Louis Sachar, Carolyn Keene, Franklin W Dixon, Phyllis Naylor, Barbara Park, Lemony Snicket.
Dear Mr Henshaw – Beverly Cleary
Bud, Not Buddy - Christopher Paul Curtis
Catherine, Called Birdy – Karen Cushman
The BFG - Roald Dahl
Danny, the Champion of the World - Roald Dahl
Knight’s Castle – Edward Eager
Harriet the Spy – Louise Fitzhugh
I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly, (Dear America) - Joyce Hansen
Dave at Night - Gail Carson Levine
Number the Stars – Lois Lowry
The Giver - Lois Lowry
Gathering Blue – Lois Lowry
Five Children and It – E. Nesbit
The Would-Be-Goods – E. Nesbit
The Enchanted Castle – E. Nesbit
The Borrowers – Mary Norton
A Picture of Freedom (Dear America) - Patricia C. Mckissack
Silverwing - Kenneth Oppel
Jacob Have I Loved – Katherine Paterson
Hatchet - Gary Paulsen
Addy: An American Girl/Boxed Set (American Girls Collection) - Connie Rose Porter
The Shadow in the North – Philip Pullman
The Tiger in the Well – Philip Pullman
His Dark Materials box set (Golden Compass, Subtle Knife, Amber Spyglass) – Philip Pullman
The Westing Game – Ellen Raskin
Missing May - Cynthia Rylant
The Wayside School box set – Louis Sachar
There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom! – Louis Sachar
A Bad Beginning – Lemony Snicket
Mary Poppins – P.L. Travers
Homecoming – Cynthia Voigt
Non-Fiction
The Care and Keeping of You, (American Girl Library)
The Feelings Book (Amer. Girl Lib.)
Oops! A Manners Guide (Amer. Girl. Lib)
The Care and Keeping of Friends (Amer. Girl Lib.)
The Star Spangled Banner – Amy Winstead
The Story of Ruby Bridges – Robert Coles
Rachel, The Story of Rachel Carson – Amy Ehrlich
A Is For Abigail – Lynne Cheney
The Sky’s The Limit: Stories of Discoveries by Women and Girls – Catherine Thimmesh
Constitution Translated for Kids – Cathy Travis
Remember the Ladies: 100 Great American Women – Cheryl Harness
Rabble Rousers: 20 Women Who Made a Difference – Cheryl Harness
The Ghosts of the White House – Cheryl Harness
Vote! - Eileen Christelow
So You Want to Be President? – Judith St George
Pyramid – David Macaulay
Underground – David Macaulay
The New Way Things Work – David Macaulay
Nat’l Geo World Atlas for Young Explorers, Rev. & Expanded Edition - National Geographic
Ocean - DK Eyewitness Books
Jungle – DK Eyewitness Books
Any other DK Eyewitness Books, except “Mummy”
DK First Dictionary
First Human Body Encyclopedia (DK) – Penny Smith
Please contact me for a mailing address.
Young Adult Fiction & Non-Fiction Requests
Young Adult Fiction
Any books by the following authors: Joan Lowery Nixon, Caroline B Cooney, Gary Paulsen, Laurie Halse Anderson, Chris Crutcher, Judy Blume.
Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson
The Number Devil, A Mathematical Adventure - Hans Magnus Enzensberger
Who Am I Without Him? : Short Stories About Girls and the Boys in Their Lives by Sharon G. Flake
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
Where We Are, What We See by David Levithan
Slam! by Walter Dean Myers
Non-Fiction
King of the Mild Frontier : An Ill-Advised Autobiography by Chris Crutcher
Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl
Bad Boy: A Memoir by Walter Dean Myers
Left for Dead by Peter Nelson
The Pact, by Sampson Davis and others
Hole in My Life, by Jack Gantos
In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer, by Irene Gutowna Opdyke
Please contact me for a mailing address.
Any books by the following authors: Joan Lowery Nixon, Caroline B Cooney, Gary Paulsen, Laurie Halse Anderson, Chris Crutcher, Judy Blume.
Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson
The Number Devil, A Mathematical Adventure - Hans Magnus Enzensberger
Who Am I Without Him? : Short Stories About Girls and the Boys in Their Lives by Sharon G. Flake
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
Where We Are, What We See by David Levithan
Slam! by Walter Dean Myers
Non-Fiction
King of the Mild Frontier : An Ill-Advised Autobiography by Chris Crutcher
Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl
Bad Boy: A Memoir by Walter Dean Myers
Left for Dead by Peter Nelson
The Pact, by Sampson Davis and others
Hole in My Life, by Jack Gantos
In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer, by Irene Gutowna Opdyke
Please contact me for a mailing address.
Adult Fiction & Non-Fiction Requests
I will accept any fiction or non-fiction for adults, but these titles are specifically requested:
Fiction
Kindred – Octavia E. Butler
Family – J. California Cooper
Good Omens – Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Mrs Pollifax – Dorothy Gilman
The Maltese Falcon – Dashiell Hammett
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
Such a Girl - Karen Siplin
His Insignificant Other - Karen Siplin
Bliss - Danyel Smith
The Coldest Winter Ever – Sister Souljah
Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Thurston
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
Non-Fiction
Black Ice – Lorene Cary
Nickel & Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich
We Were There – edited Yvonne Latty
Life is So Good – George Dawson
Having Our Say – Sarah Delany
I Have a Dream – Martin Luther King Jr.
Life Lessons for My Sisters – Natasha Munson
True Notebooks – Mark Salzman
No Disrespect – Sister Souljah
Please contact me for a mailing address.
Fiction
Kindred – Octavia E. Butler
Family – J. California Cooper
Good Omens – Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Mrs Pollifax – Dorothy Gilman
The Maltese Falcon – Dashiell Hammett
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
Such a Girl - Karen Siplin
His Insignificant Other - Karen Siplin
Bliss - Danyel Smith
The Coldest Winter Ever – Sister Souljah
Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Thurston
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
Non-Fiction
Black Ice – Lorene Cary
Nickel & Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich
We Were There – edited Yvonne Latty
Life is So Good – George Dawson
Having Our Say – Sarah Delany
I Have a Dream – Martin Luther King Jr.
Life Lessons for My Sisters – Natasha Munson
True Notebooks – Mark Salzman
No Disrespect – Sister Souljah
Please contact me for a mailing address.
En zo, the Wishlist
Here's what I posted at Readerville:
***
I have taken on a volunteer role developing a library for a community house in north east Philadelphia (a not-entirely-good part of town). I am seeking donations of either gently used or new books for these kids (2nd grade upwards). If you are interested in divesting yourself of a few items, please take a gander at the next few posts here and check out the selection I have put together. Please email me for the mailing address.
I have had a good response from some exceedingly generous people. Listed in the next few entries are the books I am still looking for, although I should note that I am constantly updating the list over at Amazon:
Cliveden Park House wishlist.
I use Amazon's wishlist feature because it is an easy tool to update and manipulate. I do not expect people to buy directly from Amazon unless they choose to. There are plenty of other places to buy books cheaper online. If you don't want to buy at all, but have a used item or two in the house, we'd accept that. I only ask that the book is not damaged, torn or defaced in any way.
I will break the list up over two or three entries.
***
I have taken on a volunteer role developing a library for a community house in north east Philadelphia (a not-entirely-good part of town). I am seeking donations of either gently used or new books for these kids (2nd grade upwards). If you are interested in divesting yourself of a few items, please take a gander at the next few posts here and check out the selection I have put together. Please email me for the mailing address.
No one is obliged to participate, but I will gratefully accept any undamaged books offered. Thank you.
***I have had a good response from some exceedingly generous people. Listed in the next few entries are the books I am still looking for, although I should note that I am constantly updating the list over at Amazon:
Cliveden Park House wishlist.
I use Amazon's wishlist feature because it is an easy tool to update and manipulate. I do not expect people to buy directly from Amazon unless they choose to. There are plenty of other places to buy books cheaper online. If you don't want to buy at all, but have a used item or two in the house, we'd accept that. I only ask that the book is not damaged, torn or defaced in any way.
I will break the list up over two or three entries.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Tutoring for the first time
Yesterday evening, four girls who had an interest in reading appeared at the Cliveden Park House at about 6pm. The two going into fifth grade immediately dove for copies of Harry Potter 1 and Harry Potter 2. They seemed to think they could read fine on their own, and went upstairs to find seats and settle in. After a few moments, I followed suit with the copy of Half Magic I'd been reading. I sat by the stairs and made it plain to them that if they had questions I'd do my best to answer.
One girl, we'll call her R, fidgeted and fussed about while she was reading. She couldn't sit still. She lay on the floor, she spun around in circles in a chair, she clicked her nails to the book, she tapped a toe. I found it very distracting and eventually found that I spent more time observing than reading my own book. But after all, that was basically the point.
Originally I had imagined hosting a read-aloud session to several kids with a book we picked together. I had several contenders on hand, depending on who the children that came to the session were. I would read-aloud for a half hour and then spend time helping each child choose a book to read alone for a longer spell. I would then be on hand to help each child with difficult words, et cetera. A fond hope for a first day.
After a while of R bothering B with questions about how much she had read (13 pages vs. 9), I asked B if she would like me to read her selection, Harry Potter and the Sorceror's (Philosopher's) Stone, aloud to her for a while. It had taken her probably forty minutes to read 9 pages. Which seems like a long while, although I don't usually count pages and time when I'm reading, so have nothing to judge it by. B said yes please, so I took over. For a while R sat and listened, but when we reached the end of chapter one she took leave of us and went downstairs to do math instruction with my husband.
There was a brief interruption when M arrived with her Mom. M is older, in high school. She is interested in music and dancing, but not reading. Unfortunately, she has been issued a long and arduous assignment for school. The book is Dan Brown's Digital Fortress. Totally the wrong book to give a teenager uninterested in computers and technology. The assignment deals with crytpography, essay after essay, followed by research and yet more essays. I found the whole thing a little distasteful, myself. I'm not sure what M's Mom hoped to achieve by asking me to help her daughter. I can't do it all for her, aside from the ethics of doing someone's homework, the book really doesn't appeal to me, either. Oh well. I promised M cookies and lemonade when she finishes the work. She's a bright girl and can obviously do it, but not without much complaining and melodrama.
So I read to the end of Chapter two in HP1, at which point I called it a night on reading. B hugged me and thanked me, and I assured her we'd read some more next week. The fourth girl, T, is interested in reading, but is obviously already A Reader. She professes to enjoy a good mystery, indicating a current favourite as Joan Lowery Nixon. I hope to lay hands on a few other selections with her in mind, although from what she told me I understand that she is a frequent Free Library of Philadelphia visitor.
Next week I will put my original plan in motion. Read aloud time followed with quiet time reading. A note made about who is reading what, etc. I expect to spend the summer reading the Harry Potter books in sequence, as these are kids who have not seen the movies and don't really know the stories. Instead of letting the kids pick Big Books to read next week, I want to encourage them to choose smaller, shorter, easier books to focus on. It's not that I want to tell them what and when to read, but the more reading they get under their belts, the easier it will become. And it's a confidence builder to remember that you read (2, 3, 4, 5!) books this summer!
One girl, we'll call her R, fidgeted and fussed about while she was reading. She couldn't sit still. She lay on the floor, she spun around in circles in a chair, she clicked her nails to the book, she tapped a toe. I found it very distracting and eventually found that I spent more time observing than reading my own book. But after all, that was basically the point.
Originally I had imagined hosting a read-aloud session to several kids with a book we picked together. I had several contenders on hand, depending on who the children that came to the session were. I would read-aloud for a half hour and then spend time helping each child choose a book to read alone for a longer spell. I would then be on hand to help each child with difficult words, et cetera. A fond hope for a first day.
After a while of R bothering B with questions about how much she had read (13 pages vs. 9), I asked B if she would like me to read her selection, Harry Potter and the Sorceror's (Philosopher's) Stone, aloud to her for a while. It had taken her probably forty minutes to read 9 pages. Which seems like a long while, although I don't usually count pages and time when I'm reading, so have nothing to judge it by. B said yes please, so I took over. For a while R sat and listened, but when we reached the end of chapter one she took leave of us and went downstairs to do math instruction with my husband.
There was a brief interruption when M arrived with her Mom. M is older, in high school. She is interested in music and dancing, but not reading. Unfortunately, she has been issued a long and arduous assignment for school. The book is Dan Brown's Digital Fortress. Totally the wrong book to give a teenager uninterested in computers and technology. The assignment deals with crytpography, essay after essay, followed by research and yet more essays. I found the whole thing a little distasteful, myself. I'm not sure what M's Mom hoped to achieve by asking me to help her daughter. I can't do it all for her, aside from the ethics of doing someone's homework, the book really doesn't appeal to me, either. Oh well. I promised M cookies and lemonade when she finishes the work. She's a bright girl and can obviously do it, but not without much complaining and melodrama.
So I read to the end of Chapter two in HP1, at which point I called it a night on reading. B hugged me and thanked me, and I assured her we'd read some more next week. The fourth girl, T, is interested in reading, but is obviously already A Reader. She professes to enjoy a good mystery, indicating a current favourite as Joan Lowery Nixon. I hope to lay hands on a few other selections with her in mind, although from what she told me I understand that she is a frequent Free Library of Philadelphia visitor.
Next week I will put my original plan in motion. Read aloud time followed with quiet time reading. A note made about who is reading what, etc. I expect to spend the summer reading the Harry Potter books in sequence, as these are kids who have not seen the movies and don't really know the stories. Instead of letting the kids pick Big Books to read next week, I want to encourage them to choose smaller, shorter, easier books to focus on. It's not that I want to tell them what and when to read, but the more reading they get under their belts, the easier it will become. And it's a confidence builder to remember that you read (2, 3, 4, 5!) books this summer!
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Hello, hello!
Well, I realised I finally have a good reason to keep a blog, as things have been picking up speed in my world this year. Let's see.... I have become a Big Sister with the mentoring organisation, Big Brothers Big Sisters. I have been matched to a young woman, E, but unfortunately I don't think the match is going to pan out. She comes from a confused family background, and it has been very difficult for myself and our caseworker to reach E. I will attempt one last call to E and her family this week, but if things don't get moving after that I'm throwing in the towel. I realise that sounds like I'm quitting, but it's not that simple. I'm sure there are people or children out there who actually want help of some kind. I don't get that impression with this family. Secondly, I am creating a library while simultaneously starting a reading club for a group of needy children & young adults. It's all happening at a sort of community centre house in Philadelphia. I have asked friends if they would be kind enough to donate a gently used children's book or two. As it turns out, I have been able to fill an entire bookcase with donations, and there are more to come. Several people have asked that I give them a better idea of the sorts of books I'm looking for, so I will be publishing the wishlist I have developed in the next few days. In the meanwhile I also plan to share stories about the reading club, which starts tomorrow evening. A number of the people who have already donated books are eager to hear how the project goes, so I decided this was probably the easiest way to keep y'all informed!
What else? Well, you can expect to hear about how our gardens grow (see above), and other miscellany from life in Pennsylvania, my home away from home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)